A camera module is recently applied to various multimedia fields including notebook type personal computers, camera phones, PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants), smart phones and toys, and to image input equipment including monitoring cameras and information terminals.
A PCB (Printed Circuit Board) of a camera module is manufactured being embedded with various electronic elements, and the electronic elements are generally configured with integrated modules on the PCB. The camera module used on the PCB is frequently mounted with an actuator for automatic focus adjustment generally using a VCM (Voice Coil Motor) method.
In order for the camera module mounted with an VCM actuator to be used for a mobile terminal, light-weightiness and slimness required for design must be accomplished. Meantime, although size of a camera module is basically limited by that of a VCM assembly, there is a disadvantage that even if the size is reduced, no part can be omitted as long as function of the VCM assembly has to be maintained.
FIG. 1 is a schematic structural view of a camera module according to prior art. Referring to FIG. 1, the conventional camera module includes a PCB (11) mounted with an image sensor (12), a base (20) on the PCB (11), upper and lower spring plates (30, 60), a spacer (40), a cover (70), a lens assembly (51), a bobbin (52), a lens actuator (50) including a coil (53) and a yoke (54) and a shield can (80).
That is, the cover (70) structurally takes a shape of an enclosure formed with a bottom-opened inner space, and accommodates the upper/lower spring plates (30, 60) and the lens actuator (500) at the inner space.